The Purpose of Dantes Journey - Research Paper Example

The Purpose of Dante's Journey (word count = 2,230) 29 July Introduction This paper examines the work of one of the greatest Italian writers ever who wrote the literary classic, the “Divine Comedy” which tells the journey of the author, Dante Alighieri. It is an allegory told through a fictional but largely autobiographical account of Dante's journeys through Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory) and Paradiso (Heaven or paradise) in which he detailed where people he came into contact with during his life go after they die. As such, the story is heavily influenced by the Catholic teachings during his time (the Medieval period) as shown by belief in these three states as well as an earth-centric view of the universe (before a more correct one was discovered by Copernicus and proved by Galileo which is helio-centric, for which he was forced to recant under pain of death during the period of the Inquisition) as evidenced by the story's placement of Hell at the center of concentric circles that was more or less consistent with the Ptolemic conception of the universe at that time. The story of his journey is an allegory that tells of his resentments at being forced to live outside his country (exiled) due to numerous political enemies who betrayed him. But the story of “Divine Comedy” has many other allusions to more crucial or important things in life that really matter the most such as loyalty and trust. Further evidence of the other aspects is a reference to the people who cannot decide their minds and practice fence-sitting to wait and see who wins in a political struggle before they will make their own stand known. In a sense, Dante's work is a stinging indictment of the people he had met during his lifetime but offers a redemption for some although a more potent message in this story presented as a collection of poems or songs is that punishment must fit the gravity of the crime committed. Discussion Dolce Stil Novo means the “sweet new style” in Italian and believed to be first used by Dante himself in a section on Purgatorio. The term actually referred to a new style of writing which was focused more on a theme of love than on any other topic. The new style of Dolce Stil Novo was a literary movement credited with improving the poetry of the time, such as the better quality of intellectual discussions, most especially when it pertains or refers to a female body in an adoring or idolizing manner. But perhaps more importantly, this style of writing conceived the ideals or features of feminine beauty in terms of being similar to the creatures coming from Paradise. This idealistic form of feminine beauty is compared not to a physical type of beauty but rather in more spiritual terms. As Dante was a foremost exponent of this new writing style, his portrayal of Beatrice (his platonic love) is an example of the kind of love that is angelic and hence the woman served as a bridge to God for divine love. It is no wonder that Beatrice was the one who guided Dante towards Heaven. La Vita Nuova literally means the new life and this pertains to a Medieval genre of the courtly love (a noble expression of love that was at times illicit among members of a nobility) in which the male lover shows his love through his acts chivalry. These acts may constitute of anything that was considered honorable, brave and noble at that time. Courtly love is a special kind of love that is based partly on sexual attraction and spiritual discipline as it is mostly sort of an unrequited or unfulfilled love (such as that of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet). It can be best described as an odd mixture of bravery, humility and courtesy with a good sprinkling of adulterous love as well that was a part of the prevailing culture of the nobility. Dante used this style of writing because he himself was a victim of an unrequited love during his childhood as well as into his adulthood. Courtly love as expressed through acts of chivalry is now largely a lost trait among the modern males; today, chivalry seems dead to be almost non-existent. Glorious Lady of my Mind – most historians believe that Beatrice who served as muse or inspiration for the poet Dante was actually Beatrice Portinari, the daughter of a Florentine banker named Folco Portinari. Dante and Beatrice are believed to have met only twice in their lifetimes but Dante was so enamored and affected by each meeting that he carried on a flame for her in his entire life, nursing a heartache which he expressed through his poems. Beatrice was the principal inspiration for the La Vita Nuova and as the personification of beatific love that borders on divine love. She was the one who took over as guide for Dante from the pagan Virgil who cannot enter Paradise. Beatrice eventually married someone else (also a banker), a guy named Simone dei Bardi but she unfortunately died at the young age of only 24. Dante on the other hand, also married someone else (Gemma Donati) but his true love was his first love that was Beatrice to whom he remained committed even in memory only. The significant role of Beatrice in Dante's writings was not only to serve as inspiration for his poetic visions but also as the manifestation and evocation of what courtly love is about. Besides being a secret and unrequited love, courtly love is supposed to be a force for good in the person smitten with it; in Dante's case, he sincerely believed that his love for Beatrice had made him into a better person. Much of what Dante wrote about Beatrice is almost entirely a product of his own imagination as they had very little contact. Dante was not so concerned on her actual physical appearance but talked mostly on her personal virtues, such as being kind, blessed, radiant and comforting giving rise to the phrase “the glorious lady of my mind.” Any person conceived and imagined in the mind only can virtually assume all the best features and this was the case with Beatrice whom Dante attributed all the most desirable virtues in a truly glorious lady. Whoever Beatrice really was, her role in the history of Italian literature was to serve as an unreachable ideal of what a perfect lady is if personified (Caesar 510). Beatrice is rightfully considered as the phantom in Dante's mind, more real in her beauty than in reality. The Doctrine of Free Will – this doctrine of free will is the very foundation of Dante's moral philosophy, which in turn was heavily influenced by the set of beliefs during Medieval times. The philosophy in Dante's time was predominantly of the belief that man has a free will which is tied up with his intellectual soul (Crisafulli 309). This in turn was governed by two moral faculties, namely reason and free will. The first is the capacity to distinguish between right and wrong (and also determine the consequences of each choice) and free will pertains to the freedom to implement or translate those moral choices into action. This is a significant concept because prior to the doctrine of the free will, the prevalent thought was that of man's predestination or Fate based largely on the Roman traditions of superstitious beliefs. This was a carryover from the Greek philosopher Plato who firmly believed in the idea of destiny. It is therefore a significant departure for the doctrine of free will that Man is ultimately responsible for his actions; this ties up nicely with Dante's portrayals of the souls in Hell who were made to suffer for their actions while still on Earth as just punishment for evil deeds. The doctrine of free will can be considered as a strong justification for divine justice; Man has been given free will with no prior conditions attached to it; he is free to do whatever he wants by making a conscious choice among several moral alternatives. But because of free will, Man must also suffer the consequences of his actions; being entirely responsible for the actions he takes in whatever way or direction he wants. The doctrine of free will gives strong reasons for not placing the blame on other persons or beings (such as that of heavenly stars). It used to be the belief that whatever Man does, he is condemned to a certain path in life due to his destiny; free will asserts social determinism. The world's corruption can be placed more or less squarely on humanity and not on the stars (Ascoli 340); it is therefore only just for men to be punished for their own faults. Dante's doctrine of free will removes the convenient alibi that Man cannot be blamed for his actions; on the contrary, Man is entirely culpable. The purpose of Dante's Journeys – the real purpose of Dante's journeys through three places of Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso is to hypothetically show to his readers what are all the consequences of their actions while still on Earth. Bad deeds deserve a place in Hell while good deeds rightfully deserved just rewards and a place in Heaven. It is as if Dante is trying to explain to his readers the net effects of their actions through the exercise of free will; maybe it is to deter those people who have ill intents to first think through their proposed actions. Man must not succumb to the temptations of earthly life as there are surely consequences. Dante is obviously sore at the people who plotted his downfall and exile; his hypothetical journeys are a way to warn those who connive against fellow human beings that a terrible fate awaits them. However, he also offered a chance at redemption for those who did good deeds. The journeys he described he had taken in the Divine Comedy were actually an attempt to make a Medieval Christian theology and philosophy more accessible and understandable to the common mass. The allegory in his story is actually the steps to be taken in a journey towards God. Dante may have realized that an ordinary person is not really capable of understanding esoteric concepts in religion as discussed by the high priests in the Catholic Church; his story can be construed as a re-interpretation of the same religious dogma but in a layman's point of view. For example, the seven deadly sins as taught by the Catholic hierarchy are cleansed or purged in Purgatorio. This gives these teachings a more personal touch which common people can easily understand and identify with. Moreover, his journeys might be a way to get back at his political opponents since he found himself on the losing side of a political struggle and in turn ended up in exile for the rest of his life. In his storied journeys, especially in Inferno and Purgatorio, he depicted some of his hated enemies in pitiful and bad light, effectively cursing them to eternal damnation as there was no way he could exact revenge on them. Effectively, he had vanquished his enemies for posterity, both real and imagined, in his writings. Relation to our Modern Day – people today have become so obsessed with all things materialistic; people have forgotten how it is to be virtuous in their pursuit of power, prestige, influence and money that people easily betray each other just to get ahead in life. A relevance of Dante's Divine Comedy and its lessons to modern life cannot be overlooked or taken in just a cavalier manner as there is still a Supreme Being who will render judgment. Each story in a very imaginative tale with religious meanings and implications such as the Divine Comedy is almost self-contained: each step depicts a specific moral theme that readers can understand. It can be safely said that despite all the accumulated knowledge in the world today, people still are no different from their Medieval counterparts in terms of self-destructive behaviors. They need to be reminded that there is a greater Power that regulates all human endeavors and that just rewards and punishments are in store for people according to their actions in the exercise of free will. Dante had extensively utilized the concept of contrapasso or poetic justice. This is still a very relevant theme even in modern times that can be seen in the jurisprudence of most countries – that punishment must fit the crime. Dante's contrapasso has slight variation of the same theme which is that sin equals the punishment. Conclusion The Divine Comedy can be considered as a masterful work of poetic art that contains the lessons for a virtuous life; Man usually starts out blind with sin but then gradually comes to see the light in a journey towards God and share in the divine grace and intellect (Caso 62). Further, Dante enlarged the concept of free will as a purposeful resolve (determinism) in that people should be made responsible for the consequences of their moral choices and actions. A story like the Divine Comedy can be compared to a parable in which there is a causality in the actions taken today and the rewards and punishments of tomorrow. Dante was not only a good writer/poet but also a minor aristocrat, a tentative political activist and a nascent theologian. Works Cited Ascoli, Albert Russell. Dante and the Making of a Modern Author. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2008. Print. Caesar, Michael. Dante: The Critical Heritage. New York: Routledge, 1995. Print. Caso, Adolph. Dante in the Twentieth Century. Weston, MA, USA: Dante University of America Press, 1982. Print. Crisafulli, Edoardo. The Vision of Dante: Cary's Translation of the Divine Comedy. Leicester, UK; Troubador Publishing Limited, 2003. Print. Read More